Parables of the Kingdom - Luke 19:1-10

1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Questions for Reflection:

The story of the Good Samaritan shows Mercy and Grace being given through physical means of care, shelter and money. However this story shows Jesus giving Mercy and Grace through other more intangible means.

How would you name those intangible means?

How does that challenge us in how we give out Mercy and Grace?

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the GRACE and MERCY I so desperately need this day.

Jesus, I do need your grace and your mercy this day – everyday. I do not ask thinking I don’t have grace and mercy from You – my asking is the cry of an open receiving heart. Thank you for Your immense and intense love for me which shows up as unmerited favor (grace) and rescue from what I justly deserve (mercy).

Thank you for loving me so very well – I rest in Your love and ask You to bring to mind specific ways You have loved me with grace and loved me with mercy lately. (Spend a few moments letting the Spirit bring to mind times you have been “graced and mercy’d” recently. Take whatever time you need to engage with Jesus over what He is revealing.)

Jesus, I repent of times when I act like I don’t need grace and mercy. It is sad to think I am prone to “self-justify” or blame or excuse especially when I need to be humble and open to mercy. I do this to You and I do this to others – I am so very sorry.

I am excited that You are leading me to be not only a receiver of mercy and grace but a giver. I am fully equipped to be gracious and merciful to others because You have been gracious and merciful to me. I get to love others with an over the top, long term, leads to healing kind of love because that is how I am loved by You.

I know I will be tempted to go the way of the Priest and Levite from the parable – having a righteous agenda which blinds me to opportunities for loving mercy and grace. Not today – I am a child of God, agent of my Father’s love, recipient of immense grace and unfathomable mercy, filled with the Holy Spirit, alive with resurrection Life – today I get to love others well with merciful words and actions. It is who I am in Christ!

This is going to be an amazing day!

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - Luke 10:25-37

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Questions for Reflection:

What is an area of your life today where you would say you need a great deal of "grace and mercy" from God? What about from others?

Jesus is the unlikely (Samaritan) rescuing healer who comes for us. When have you experienced Jesus' rescue lately? (Its sometimes hard to answer but think about it.)

When have you been an instrument of God's "grace and mercy" in someone else's life lately? Share your story in the comments below if you would like.

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the GRACE and MERCY I so desperately need this day.

Jesus, I do need your grace and your mercy this day – everyday. I do not ask thinking I don’t have grace and mercy from You – my asking is the cry of an open receiving heart. Thank you for Your immense and intense love for me which shows up as unmerited favor (grace) and rescue from what I justly deserve (mercy).

Thank you for loving me so very well – I rest in your love and ask you to bring to mind specific ways you have loved me with grace and loved me with mercy lately.

(Spend a few moments letting the Spirit bring to mind times you have been “graced and mercy’d” recently. Take whatever time you need to engage with Jesus over what He is revealing.)

Jesus, I repent of times when I act like I don’t need grace and mercy. It is sad to think I am prone to “self-justify” or blame or excuse especially when I need to be humble and open to mercy. I do this to You and I do this to others – I am so very sorry.

I am excited that You are leading me to be not only a receiver of mercy and grace but a giver. I am fully equipped to be gracious and merciful to others because You have been gracious and merciful to me. I get to love others with an over the top, long term, leads to healing kind of love because that is how I am loved by you.

I know I will be tempted to go the way of the Priest and Levite from the parable – having a righteous agenda which blinds me to opportunities for loving mercy and grace. Not today – I am a child of God, agent of my Father’s love, recipient of immense grace and unfathomable mercy, filled with the Holy Spirit, alive with resurrection Life – today I get to love others well with merciful words and actions. It is who I am in Christ!

This is going to be an amazing day!

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - 8/21/21

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9-14

Questions for Reflection:

What is Jesus trying to talk with you about this week in the parables and today’s scripture about comparisons, jealousy, and self-righteousness? Spend some time listening. Be honest. Talk with Him. Focus on Him. Let Him heal, restore, and breathe fresh life into you. He wants your heart! Imagine living HIS way – the Kingdom of God way! How free that will be!

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day.

Father, you love me with an incomprehensible love but I ask now that You give eyes of faith to see the magnitude of Your love for me. I pray that I might know the length and width and height and depth of Your love for me. I want to know Your love and I want to know You. Thank you for loving me so well through Jesus. His sacrificial unconditional love for me blows me away. Thank you for putting Your love into action through Jesus. I receive Him and all His life and all His work which You made sure was done for me and every other human being. What love! What grace!

Father, Son, Holy Spirit I confess that I can so easily despise Your love through my thoughts, words and deeds. One way I do this is when I compare myself to others in such a way that results in envy, jealousy and resentment towards them and You. I realize that at times I am prone to thinking that You are less gracious, more stingy and less giving with me than others. I can even do this when I look at what my life lacks and conclude my sin or failures must have turned You off somehow ……… oh I am so sorry for all the ways I limit my perception of Your grace, love and goodness to me. I do not want to envious of others and resentful of You.

I receive and trust Your complete and total forgiveness and ask Your help with living free today. Fill me afresh Holy Spirit so I am free to see and enjoy Your many graces, many blessings, many gifts in my life. I get to enjoy You Jesus and what You have given me …. which is so very much. I do not have to be lured into the trap of looking at what others have and what I don’t have which takes my soul into lifeless places. I am in Your care and I rejoice that I get to enjoy You Jesus today … all day, every day. Thank You for You!

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - 8/20/21

Matthew 18:1-6

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Matthew 19:13-15

13 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

Questions for Reflection:

What joy and comfort do you find in knowing you are to be like a newborn infant in the Kingdom of God? Or does this idea feel scary and unknown and strange to you?

How has someone caused you to stumble in your walk with the Lord and how you can you bring that to Jesus for healing?

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day.

Father, you love me with an incomprehensible love but I ask now that You give eyes of faith to see the magnitude of Your love for me. I pray that I might know the length and width and height and depth of Your love for me. I want to know Your love and I want to know You. Thank you for loving me so well through Jesus. His sacrificial unconditional love for me blows me away. Thank you for putting Your love into action through Jesus. I receive Him and all His life and all His work which You made sure was done for me and every other human being. What love! What grace!

Father, Son, Holy Spirit I confess that I can so easily despise Your love through my thoughts, words and deeds. One way I do this is when I compare myself to others in such a way that results in envy, jealousy and resentment towards them and You. I realize that at times I am prone to thinking that You are less gracious, more stingy and less giving with me than others. I can even do this when I look at what my life lacks and conclude my sin or failures must have turned You off somehow ……… oh I am so sorry for all the ways I limit my perception of Your grace, love and goodness to me. I do not want to envious of others and resentful of You.

I receive and trust Your complete and total forgiveness and ask Your help with living free today. Fill me afresh Holy Spirit so I am free to see and enjoy Your many graces, many blessings, many gifts in my life. I get to enjoy You Jesus and what You have given me …. which is so very much. I do not have to be lured into the trap of looking at what others have and what I don’t have which takes my soul into lifeless places. I am in Your care and I rejoice that I get to enjoy You Jesus today … all day, every day. Thank You for You!

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - 8/19/21

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

21 “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered.

23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:20-28

Questions for Reflection:

What do you suppose was going through the mother's mind which lead her to do what she did? How vulnerable are you to this sort of thinking and acting ..... especially when it comes to your kids?

What is Jesus trying to really teach His disciples after he observes their indignation toward the brothers? What does this tell us about life in the Kingdom of God?

How do you feel about the lesson He is teaching?

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day.

Father, you love me with an incomprehensible love but I ask now that You give eyes of faith to see the magnitude of Your love for me. I pray that I might know the length and width and height and depth of Your love for me. I want to know Your love and I want to know You. Thank you for loving me so well through Jesus. His sacrificial unconditional love for me blows me away. Thank you for putting Your love into action through Jesus. I receive Him and all His life and all His work which You made sure was done for me and every other human being. What love! What grace!

Father, Son, Holy Spirit I confess that I can so easily despise Your love through my thoughts, words and deeds. One way I do this is when I compare myself to others in such a way that results in envy, jealousy and resentment towards them and You. I realize that at times I am prone to thinking that You are less gracious, more stingy and less giving with me than others. I can even do this when I look at what my life lacks and conclude my sin or failures must have turned You off somehow ……… oh I am so sorry for all the ways I limit my perception of Your grace, love and goodness to me. I do not want to envious of others and resentful of You.

I receive and trust Your complete and total forgiveness and ask Your help with living free today. Fill me afresh Holy Spirit so I am free to see and enjoy Your many graces, many blessings, many gifts in my life. I get to enjoy You Jesus and what You have given me …. which is so very much. I do not have to be lured into the trap of looking at what others have and what I don’t have which takes my soul into lifeless places. I am in Your care and I rejoice that I get to enjoy You Jesus today … all day, every day. Thank You for You!

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - 8/18/21

4 If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

Philippians 3:4b-9

Questions for Reflection:

Where do you need healing when it comes to the comparison trap?

How do you need to be freed today from the need to perform to feel as if you are a ‘good’ Christian and earning God’s favor?

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day.

Father, you love me with an incomprehensible love but I ask now that You give eyes of faith to see the magnitude of Your love for me. I pray that I might know the length and width and height and depth of Your love for me. I want to know Your love and I want to know You. Thank you for loving me so well through Jesus. His sacrificial unconditional love for me blows me away. Thank you for putting Your love into action through Jesus. I receive Him and all His life and all His work which You made sure was done for me and every other human being. What love! What grace!

Father, Son, Holy Spirit I confess that I can so easily despise Your love through my thoughts, words and deeds. One way I do this is when I compare myself to others in such a way that results in envy, jealousy and resentment towards them and You. I realize that at times I am prone to thinking that You are less gracious, more stingy and less giving with me than others. I can even do this when I look at what my life lacks and conclude my sin or failures must have turned You off somehow ……… oh I am so sorry for all the ways I limit my perception of Your grace, love and goodness to me. I do not want to envious of others and resentful of You.

I receive and trust Your complete and total forgiveness and ask Your help with living free today. Fill me afresh Holy Spirit so I am free to see and enjoy Your many graces, many blessings, many gifts in my life. I get to enjoy You Jesus and what You have given me …. which is so very much. I do not have to be lured into the trap of looking at what others have and what I don’t have which takes my soul into lifeless places. I am in Your care and I rejoice that I get to enjoy You Jesus today … all day, every day. Thank You for You!

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - 8/17/21

1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you.

15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Matthew 20:1-16

Questions for Reflection:

Spend some time letting the Holy Spirit reveal any “default” areas of jealousy, crippling comparisons, or ranking systems in your sinful nature. Ask Him for His forgiveness!

Now, ask the Holy Spirit to help you begin anew today and to transform your mind! When the “old” you pops up and begins to compare, STOP! Hit PAUSE! Hit DELETE! REBOOT! Let the new you rejoice and celebrate others!

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day.

Father, you love me with an incomprehensible love but I ask now that You give eyes of faith to see the magnitude of Your love for me. I pray that I might know the length and width and height and depth of Your love for me. I want to know Your love and I want to know You. Thank you for loving me so well through Jesus. His sacrificial unconditional love for me blows me away. Thank you for putting Your love into action through Jesus. I receive Him and all His life and all His work which You made sure was done for me and every other human being. What love! What grace!

Father, Son, Holy Spirit I confess that I can so easily despise Your love through my thoughts, words and deeds. One way I do this is when I compare myself to others in such a way that results in envy, jealousy and resentment towards them and You. I realize that at times I am prone to thinking that You are less gracious, more stingy and less giving with me than others. I can even do this when I look at what my life lacks and conclude my sin or failures must have turned You off somehow ……… oh I am so sorry for all the ways I limit my perception of Your grace, love and goodness to me. I do not want to envious of others and resentful of You.

I receive and trust Your complete and total forgiveness and ask Your help with living free today. Fill me afresh Holy Spirit so I am free to see and enjoy Your many graces, many blessings, many gifts in my life. I get to enjoy You Jesus and what You have given me …. which is so very much. I do not have to be lured into the trap of looking at what others have and what I don’t have which takes my soul into lifeless places. I am in Your care and I rejoice that I get to enjoy You Jesus today … all day, every day. Thank You for You!

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - 8/16/21

16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

18 “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:16-26

Questions for Reflection:

Why do you suppose the young man was sad? What might have been going through his mind?

What is it about wealth that warrants Jesus poignant warning about its perils on one's spiritual journey?

What good news is there for you in this reading?

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day.

Father, you love me with an incomprehensible love but I ask now that You give eyes of faith to see the magnitude of Your love for me. I pray that I might know the length and width and height and depth of Your love for me. I want to know Your love and I want to know You. Thank you for loving me so well through Jesus. His sacrificial unconditional love for me blows me away. Thank you for putting Your love into action through Jesus. I receive Him and all His life and all His work which You made sure was done for me and every other human being. What love! What grace!

Father, Son, Holy Spirit I confess that I can so easily despise Your love through my thoughts, words and deeds. One way I do this is when I compare myself to others in such a way that results in envy, jealousy and resentment towards them and You. I realize that at times I am prone to thinking that You are less gracious, more stingy and less giving with me than others. I can even do this when I look at what my life lacks and conclude my sin or failures must have turned You off somehow ……… oh I am so sorry for all the ways I limit my perception of Your grace, love and goodness to me. I do not want to envious of others and resentful of You.

I receive and trust Your complete and total forgiveness and ask Your help with living free today. Fill me afresh Holy Spirit so I am free to see and enjoy Your many graces, many blessings, many gifts in my life. I get to enjoy You Jesus and what You have given me …. which is so very much. I do not have to be lured into the trap of looking at what others have and what I don’t have which takes my soul into lifeless places. I am in Your care and I rejoice that I get to enjoy You Jesus today … all day, every day. Thank You for You!

Amen